The Story of Christianity, Volume 1 (Justo Gonzalez)

In the first volume of his history of Christianity, Justo Gonzalez covers the beginnings of the church to the dawn of the Reformation (AD ~30-1500), broken into sections of the early church, imperial church, medieval church, and colonial church.

Summary
Christianity had humble beginnings.  The followers of Jesus Christ were commanded to 'go and make disciples,' and that they did.  Though Christians generally didn't cause any problems for local governments, and their numbers were small, the first few centuries of the church were ones of consistent persecution.  In addition, the early years featured defense/codification of the faith and formation of now-familiar traditions (in church organization and worship).  In the early 300s, everything changed with the conversion of the Roman Emperor Constantine. 

Constantine decreed Christianity the official religion of the Empire.  Now the Church, persecuted for centuries, found itself suddenly in a position of power, which
- tempted the true believers,
- attracted non-believers, and
- tied church and state in a union which would soon prove detrimental to both.
Because the church was an important unifying factor in the empire, the state began to weigh in on theological disputes, with civil interventions into religious matters.  And in the other direction, the heads of the church would become exceedingly powerful over the years, especially in the western Empire, where demise of the state (Rome fell in 476) left a political power vacuum that the church filled.

Many within were displeased with the church's new position of power, and monastic orders- where believers sought to escape and devote themselves to God- arose as a reaction.  Indeed, the church's civic entanglements would lead to no end of problems, and most attempts to reform from within over the medieval centuries failed.  Ultimately, this volume leaves off with the Protestant Reformation on the horizon, which would eventually tear the church (already divided into western Roman Catholic and eastern Orthodox branches) into myriad sects, as it stands today.

Review
This is an excellent read.  It's clear, succinct, fair, informative, fascinating, and well-written.  Gonzalez covers major events and personalities impressively.  Highly recommended for anyone (Christian and non) who wants to understand this highly influential institution and how it obtained its present form.

Rating: A